25 world leaders expected at G20 meet, 18 confirm participation

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 29

As confirmations continue to roll in, the G20 Summit to be held here next month is likely to see the attendance of at least 25 world leaders, barring Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

From the G20 members, 18 leaders will attend the event.

Of the G20 members, the two absentees are Putin and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Sources said so far, attendance had not been confirmed by Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, Brazil and Argentina. The expectation, based on soundings from Indian Missions based in those countries, is that they will attend the event, barring Mexico. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also not formally announced his visit, but sources said given China’s economic slowdown, Beijing would want its leader to be at the G20 Summit.

In addition, leaders of all nine observer countries, especially invited by India, will attend the summit. So will the chiefs of at least 10 international organisations, including the UN, WTO, ASEAN, World Bank, BRICS and SCO.

India has not included Ukraine in the list of participants for the G20 Summit as per the list of invitees published on the official website, but Zelenskyy’s participation by video-conferencing may not be a closed chapter, suggest other diplomatic sources. With the backing of western countries, the Ukrainian leader had given a video message to the previous G20 Summit in Bali and had also attended the May G7 summit in Hiroshima where he also met PM Narendra Modi.

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